I know it’s early, but I’m wondering if anyone knows how long the process takes to receive an Offer (or a “No”) from St. Andrews after you’ve turned in an application. I think it’s rolling admissions, but …
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Sort of yes, and sort of no…that is, the admissions do ‘roll’ out, but it is not a steady stream, and it is by subject. Some subjects have reputations (for example, IR is typically slower), and within a subject it can vary by year- even just by the work rhythm of individual profs who go on/off the review panel. Remember that it’s not a university wide AdCom, as in the US- the admissions committee for each subject is made up of active profs, so this do this around their teaching responsibilities. So, there is no way to really know how long you will have to wait. The more clear-cut your app is (for better or worse), the more likely a quick response, but that’s once it gets looked at.
So, anytime from now to Feb/March is possible- even having applied this early! but assume you won’t hear anything for 2-8 weeks. And even then, don’t try to interpret what it means- more than likely it won’t mean anything.
@collegemom3717 Thank you. That helps me with my expectations.
2-8 weeks seems to be the range, with earlier applications having potentially longer response times.
Hello. I’m new to this forum. My son is applying to St Andrews from the US using the Common App and we were wondering:
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If anyone found any guidelines for the essay specific to St Andrews. So for example, is it mostly about academics or is there a role for why Scotland and what kind of clubs he would want to join as part of the overall college experience as they could also tie into the bigger story of why St Andrews?
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Trying to determine what to apply for in. Let’s say for example that he’s interested in IR and Arabic or Social Anthropology and Arabic. IR and Arabic, I would assume, would be harder to get into. Is that really true?
From what I have heard, IR is a much tougher field b/c that’s what most people want. History is supposedly tough too.
Focus on the academic reasons, with a paragraph about ‘why StAs’ at the end that is a little more thoughtful than ‘Scotland is cool / going abroad for IR is my dream’ kind of things.
Any dual subject is a little harder than a single subject b/c both departments have to agree to admit.
According to my kid IR and Arabic is the most common combination for US students. She says you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an American studying IR + Arabic. So don’t think that just wanting that makes you unique or that you are the only US kid who would want that combo.
Read the module descriptions and be very specific about why this combo and why at St. A.
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It doesn’t sound very hygienic (or effective) to “swing a dead cat”. Much better to swing a cat o’ nine tails 
@collegemom3717 Thank you for your response. So if he’s not sure yet about Arabic as a joint degree should he just apply to either IR and Social Anthropology as a backup (or vice versa) and decide once he’s there if he wants to take Arabic and pursue it over several years if he likes it?
@VickiSoCal Thank you for your response. I am laughing because he thought adding Arabic, which he has an interest in, would be a unique combo LOL! Anyway, the course options in both IR and Social Anthropology are fascinating to him. We were digging online and couldn’t tell how prestigious or competitive the Social Anthropology program is at St Andrews. Do you know?
I don’t know anything about Social Anthropology, but I called St. Andrews a few months ago, and they told me IR and History are the two subjects that everyone wants.
SA is a top 20 program within the UK but doesn’t seem to have nearly the draw for US students that IR does. Sustainable Development + a language or IR seems very popular too.
Is Sustainable Development the same as Management + a Language?
Scotland has a Freedom of Information Act. There’s a website that collates responses that St. Andrews and other UK universities make to FOIA requests. One person asked about admission statistics of international students to various colleges, and here is their response.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/split_of_admission_statistics_be#incoming-1345412
So if you feel like doing some math you can figure out which programs have better admission statistics for international students.
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(appendix A has the stats)
@SlimJim001, do you mean are both SD & Mgmt+language popular with US students?
It’s really important in the UK context- even in Scotland and even at StAs- for the student to follow a genuine interest. What is considered ‘flexibility’ is still very structured by US standards. A student weighing different courses should read in detail what each year is like. A good test is whether you can write (or imagine) an essay of ‘why this course’ that fits both courses and is still true for you.
I’m assuming that “Management and Spanish/French, etc.” Is the closest to an international business major in the US, or double Business major & a foreign language. Is that the idea?
“Management” and “Business” do broadly overlap. In general Management is a broader course, and Business a more practically-oriented course.
…but that is why the course descriptions have to be read carefully. StAs offers Management (or Management +), and you can read the modules. On the other hand, Edinburgh offers both Business and International Business (both in a bunch of combinations).
The non EU/UK offer rate from the link above for 2018/2019:
80.41% School of Art History
56.52% School of Biology
66.97% School of Chemistry
67.70% School of Classics
32.47% School of Computer Science
66.67% School of Divinity
75.61% School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
62.64% School of Economics & Finance
75.97% School of English
86.48% School of Geography & Sustainable Development
80.95% School of History
68.65% School of International Relations
65.72% School of Management
56.92% School of Mathematics & Statistics
24.70% School of Medicine
72.05% School of Modern Languages
57.20% School of Physics & Astronomy
50.65% School of Psychology & Neuroscience
67.52% Department of Philosophy
79.79% Department of Social Anthropology
68.38% Department of Film Studies